Facebook is known for launching features to make it that much easier to connect to friends – now they’re taking another step towards improving global connectivity. Yesterday, Facebook introduced what they call the Open Compute Project, an 18-month venture that led them to redesign the standard server in favor of a lighter, more efficient and cheaper model. All of the new servers will come in handy at the Facebook Data Center located in Prineville, Oregon. Opened just months ago, the data center prides itself on its green construction and can now add energy efficient operations to its list. At approximately 94.5% efficiency, the six pound server is certainly one of a kind.

Probably the greatest aspect of this new development is not that you’ll be able to accept friend requests faster but that anyone will be able to implement the new technology into their workplace. The team at Facebook made all design plans and specifications for their slimmed down server available to the public with the request that we return the favor. Facebook hopes that we won’t just accept their server design as is – they want feedback on how to improve their work and just how we’ll find ways to use it. They admit that the new design is surely not perfect; a refreshing perspective when many these days have a hard time admitting even the most obvious errors. Facebook calls their new servers “vanity free” but I think we can all agree that smarter and faster is always a beautiful thing.